Murdoch: embrace US-style immigration

Rupert Murdoch on Tuesday ... ‘The way they (Labor) are talking about the 437 (457) is pretty disgraceful and racist. But I’m a big one for encouraging immigrants, I think that’s the future, a mixture of people.’
AFR

by
James Massola | Ben Holgate

News Corporation chairman and chief executive
Rupert Murdoch
opened another front in the war between his Australian media operations and the federal government when he criticised Labor’s changes to the 457 visa program as “disgraceful and racist".

Two weeks after Labor’s proposed media package collapsed amid a sustained attack from Mr Murdoch’s Australian newspapers, the media mogul, who is crunching the numbers on his Australian businesses ahead of a split-up of his global media and entertainment empire, backed an expansive immigration program.

Labor MPs immediately hit back at Mr Murdoch, denying his accusation that the crackdown was racist and accusing him of campaigning to bring down the federal Labor government.

Mr Murdoch intervened in the debate over 457 visas while visiting Darwin to discuss business opportunities in the north. He met the territory’s new chief minister, Adam Giles, business leaders and academics at a dinner on Monday, and toured the offices of his local newspaper, the NT News. He was accompanied by his Australian chief, Kim Williams, and the head of the new publishing spin-off, Robert Thomson.

“The way they [Labor] are talking about the 437 [sic 457] is pretty disgraceful and racist. But I’m a big one for encouraging immigrants, I think that’s the future, a mixture of people,’’ he said.

“Just look at America, it’s just fantastic. You have difficulties for generational migrants sometimes, if there are too many from one area, but you know they meld in a couple of generations and it leads to tremendous creativity in the community."

“There is nothing racist about standing up for jobs and job opportunities for Australians," he said. “The 457 scheme has an important role to play ... we think it is absolutely essential that we crack down on these rorts."

Mr Murdoch’s Darwin visit comes ahead of meetings with the heads of News Corp’s businesses in Australia during a two-week visit and after Labor’s media package collapsed.

The timing of this trip coincides with News’ annual budget meetings, during which senior executives begin to finalise their budgets for the following financial year. Usually this is done in New York, with Australian executives making the pilgrimage to the CEO.

The budget talks this year have an added urgency because of News’ planned split into two separate, listed companies in June.

The new News Corp will own the publishing and Australian pay TV assets. Fox Group will house the cable TV, film and US TV businesses. The Australian businesses, which include the local newspapers, Fox Sports Australia, Foxtel (of which News owns 50 per cent) and online real estate advertising company REA Group (62 per cent), will generate about two-thirds of News Corp’s earnings, according to CLSA.

Mr Murdoch is also due to officially open Fox Sports Australia’s new $20 million television studios in Sydney.

Greens Leader Christine Milne said Labor and the Coalition were both “dog whistling" on migration and urged Mr Murdoch to give his newspaper editors instructions to stop vilifying asylum seekers.